Cube shaped playing device with adjacent faces displaying adjacent countable indicia

ABSTRACT

A playing device and, more particularly, a die having a body shaped as a cube having six faces and a plurality of countable indicia totalling from one to six on each face and with the total indicia on one face being different from the total indicia on any other face and with each of said countable indicia on a face having an adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face. Such countable indicia in the form of eight spheres may be embedded in the body adjacent the cube faces with each sphere adjacent at least two cube faces and so arranged that, with the body being sufficiently transparent, said spheres are visibly adjacent certain of the cube faces to provide countable indicia totalling any count from one through six.

1 United States Patent [191 Simons [111 3,799,554 [451 Mar. 26, 1974 [76] Inventor: Leonard B. Simons, 516 S. Austin Blvd, Oak Park, Ill. 60304 [22] Filed: June 14, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 369,788

[52] U.S. Cl. 273/146 [51] Int. Cl. A63f 9/04 [58] Field of Search 273/146, 134 D, 134 DB, 273/137 D, 137 B, 137 C, 157 R, 157 A, 138 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,279,409 9/1918 Murray 273/146 2,090,837 8/1937 Gould 273/146 3,510,134 5/1970 Brooks et a1.... 273/157 R 3,608,906 9/1971 Odier 273/146 X 3,712,622 1/1973 Odier 273/157 R X 3,348,319 10/1967 Harrison 35/17 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 437,082 10/1935 Great Britain 273/146 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oeclhsle Assistant Examiner-Arnold W. Kramer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hofgren, Wegner, Allen, Stellman & McCord [5 7] ABSTRACT A playing device and, more particularly, a die having a body shaped as a cube having six faces and a plurality of countable indicia totalling from one to six on each face and with the total indicia on one face being different from the total indicia on any other face and with each of said countable indicia on a face having an adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face. Such countable indicia in the form of eight spheres may be embedded in the body adjacent the cube faces with each sphere adjacent at least two cube faces and so arranged that, with the body being sufficiently transparent, said spheres are visibly adjacent certain of the cube faces to provide countable indicia totalling any count from one through six.

9 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures CUBE SHAPED PLAYING DEVICE WITH ADJACENT FACES DISPLAYING ADJACENT COUNTABLE INDICIA BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains to a playing device and, more particularly, to a die or dice wherein the six faces thereof each has countable indicia totalling from one to six and each face having a different total than the other faces thereof.

It is characteristic of the conventional die that the cube body has six faces with indicia on each face and with the total on any one face being different from the total on any other face and with opposite faces totalling seven. There is no direct relation between the indicia on adjacent faces with the result that it cannot be determined readily whether or not a die has duplicate faces which, therefore, could result in possible cheating.

SUMMARY A primary feature of the invention disclosed herein is to provide a playing device as a die having a body shaped as a cube with six faces and with countable indicia totalling from one to six on each face and with the total on any one face being different from the total on any other face and with there being a relation between indicia on adjacent faces for readily ascertaining that no two faces have the same total of countable indicia.

As part of the invention, the playing device has a plurality of objects embedded in the body and in a pattern whereby there are a different number of objects visibly adjacent each of the cube faces and with the same object being visibly adjacent two faces of the cube and, therefore, defining a countable indicia on both of said faces.

An additional feature of the invention is to have the cube of the playing device formed of substantially transparent material wherein the objects embedded therein provide a three-dimensional effect for the playing device and with each face having a different number of the objects visibly adjacent thereto whereby each of the six faces of the cube has a different total of countable indicia defined by said objects which are visibly adjacent the face of the cube.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. l is a perspective view of the playing device having a body which is substantially transparent and with objects embedded therein;

FIG. 2 is a plan section, taken generally along the line 22 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 33 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 44 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 5-5 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section, taken generally along the line 6-6 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan section, taken generally along the line 77 in FIG. I;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate form of the playing device; and

FIG. 9 is a view, similar to FIG. 8, with the playing device of FIG. 8 inverted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The playing device is indicated generally at 10 in FIG. 1 and has a body shaped as a cube having six faces including a top face 11, a bottom face 112 and side faces 15, 16, 17, and 18. The body is made of substantially transparent material, such as a plastic commonly used in visibly embedding objects therein.

The playing device is primarily intended as a die wherein the six faces thereof each has countable indicia and with the total on each face being different from the total on every other face and the total of the countable indicia being from one through six. This is accomplished by embedding a total of eight objects in the cube, with these objects being shown as solid spheres. The spherical objects are identified at 20-27 in FIG. 1. The spherical objects 20-24 define a verticallydisposed L shape, with the playing device oriented as shown in FIG. 1, with spherical objects 22-24 forming one leg of the L-shape and also forming one leg of a second L-shape disposed horizontally, as viewed in FIG. 1. The remainder of this second L-shape includes spherical objects 25 and 26. The eighth spherical object 27 is disposed remote from the remaining spherical objects and is in a plane common to spherical objects 20-22, another plane common to spherical object 26, and a third plane common to spherical objects 22-26.

The spherical objects have been referred to as embedded within the body of the playing device with such embedding resulting in either complete positioning of the spherical objects beneath the surfaces of the cube faces or with a part of the spherical objects exposed at the surface of the faces. In either event, the spherical objects are oriented so that only certain of the objects are visibly adjacent a particular face of the cube. With this orientation, there is resultingly countable indicia at each face represented by visibly adjacent spherical objects and with the arrangement thereof providing a different total of countable indicia for each of the six faces of the cube. FIG. 2 shows that spherical object 20 is visibly adjacent the face 11 of the cube and, therefore, the countable indicia for face 11 totals one. FIG. 3 shows that spherical objects 26 and 27 are visibly adjacent the face 16 of the cube and, therefore, the total of countable indicia for face 16 is two. FIG. 4 shows that spherical objects 24-26 are visibly adjacent the face 18 of the cube and, therefore, the total of the countable indicia for face 18 is three.

FIG. 5 shows that spherical objects 20-22 and 27 are visibly adjacent the face 15 of the cube and, therefore, the total of the countable indicia for face 115 is four. FIG. 6 shows that spherical objects 20-24 are visibly adjacent the face 17 of the cube and, therefore, the

total of the countable indicia for face 17 is five. FIG. 7 shows that spherical objects 22-27 are visibly adjacent the face 12 of the cube and, therefore, the total of the countable indicia for face 112 is six.

With the foregoing structure, a three-dimensional die is provided wherein eight spherical objects are related to provide for a total of countable indicia on various faces of the die corresponding to the totals found in the conventionally-used die. In every instance. as in the conventional die, the total of the countable indicia on opposite faces of the die totals seven.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9, the playing device has a body of a cube shape, formed of a suitable opaque material and the pattern of countable indicia is the same as in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 7. The body 50 has the faces 51 through 56 and, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the total on each face is different from that on all other faces, with the total of the countable indicia running from one through six and with opposite faces having countable indicia totalling seven. The countable indicia may be formed as depressions in the faces of the cube 50 provided with a color contrasting to that of the body or may have objects embedded in the body and shaped to provide depressions at the surface. The depressions are all of the same nature and with the depression 60 being shown as a semi-spherical concavity.

A particularly unique feature of the playing device of both embodiments, in addition to those features previously set forth, is that the disposition of the countable indicia results in each countable indicia on a face having a corresponding adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face. For example, the spherical objects 26 and 27 which provide a countable indicia of two, as shown in FIG. 3, each has an adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the spherical object 27 also is a countable indicia with respect to face 15, as shown in FIG. 5, as being part of the total of four for that face. Similarly, the countable indicia 61 in FIG. 8 is adjacent to the countable indicia 63 on face 55, as shown in FIG. 9. This pattern relation between countable indicia on adjacent faces assures that the die does not have two faces having the same total of countable indicia and, therefore, reduces the possibility of cheating by use of a die having duplicate faces. Any deviation from the patterned relation between the countable indicia would be recognized instantly.

I claim:

1. A playing device having a body with a cube shape having six faces, and a plurality of means associated with said body to provide countable indicia totalling from one to six on each face and with the total indicia on any one face being different from the total indicia on any other face, each of said countable indicia on a face having an adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face.

2. A playing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said indicia are at the surface of said faces.

3. A playing device as defined in claim I wherein said indicia are beneath the surface of said faces, and said body is sufficiently transparent to render said indicia visible.

4. A playing device having a body shaped as a cube, a plurality of objects embedded in said body and in a pattern whereby there are a different number of objects visibly adjacent each of said cube faces and with the same object having visibly adjacent at least two faces of the cube.

5. A playing device as defined in claim 4 wherein said objects are spheres.

6. A playing device as defined in claim 4 wherein said cube is of transparent material.

7. A playing device as defined in claim 5 wherein there are eight of said objects and the faces of the cube have one through six of said objects visibly adjacent at the respective six faces of the cube.

8. A playing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said objects are spheres.

9. A playing device as defined in claim 7 wherein five of said objects are arranged in an L-shape adjacent one face with three of the five objects forming the upstanding leg of the L-shape also being adjacent a second face and forming the upstanding leg of a second L-shape arrangement with two additionalof said objects, and the last of said objects being adjacent said second face and two additional faces of the body. 

1. A playing device having a body with a cube shape having six faces, and a plurality of means associated with said body to provide countable indicia totalling from one to six on each face and with the total indicia on any one face being different from the total indicia on any other face, each of said countable indicia on a face having an adjacent countable indicia on an adjacent face.
 2. A playing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said indicia are at the surface of said faces.
 3. A playing device as defined in claim 1 wherein said indicia are beneath the surface of said faces, and said body is sufficiently transparent to render said indicia visible.
 4. A playing device having a body shaped as a cube, a plurality of objects embedded in said body and in a pattern whereby there are a different number of objects visibly adjacent each of said cube faces and with the same object having visibly adjacent at least two faces of the cube.
 5. A playing device as defined in claim 4 wherein said objects are spheres.
 6. A playing device as defined in claim 4 wherein said cube is of transparent material.
 7. A playing device as defined in claim 5 wherein there are eight of said objects and the faces of the cube have one through six of said objects visibly adjacent at the respective six faces of the cube.
 8. A playing device as defined in claim 7 wherein said objects are spheres.
 9. A playing device as defined in claim 7 wherein five of said objects are arranged in an L-shape adjacent one face with three of the five objects forming the upstanding leg of the L-shape also being adjacent a second face and forming the upstanding leg of a second L-shape arrangement with two additional of said objects, and the last of said objects being adjacent said second face and two additional faces of the body. 